Annie at Winter Gardens Blackpool Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Cath
What a fabulous night we had at the opening performance of Annie at Blackpool Opera House. Featuring many well-known songs, including Tomorrow, It’s the Hard Knock Life, You’re Never Fully Dressed and Maybe, it’s hardly surprising that the story about little orphan Annie, has enchanted audiences for decades.
After numerous West End runs and UK tours, the smash-hit production is back on the road with a new UK and Ireland tour. And last night, we joined the Blackpool audience to see whether Annie still has the theatrical magic to make even the most hardened cynic believe that, yes, the sun really will come out tomorrow.
The story is set in 1930s New York, where Annie is living a decidedly miserable existence in an orphanage run by the gin-loving, thoroughly wicked Miss Hannigan, played by Brookside and Coronation Street favourite Claire Sweeney. Life for the orphans is far from rosy, with Miss Hannigan having them scrub floors every day while she supervises from a safe distance, gin bottle in hand!
Annie’s only possession is half a locket which was with her when her parents abandoned her on the orphanage steps when she was a baby. Whilst many years have passed, Annie still dreams of her parents returning for her. One evening, she sneaks out with a little help from the laundry man and finds a stray dog which she adopts and names Sandy. Unfortunately for them both, a policeman soon escorts her back to the orphanage.
Annie’s fortunes take a turn for the better when she’s chosen to spend Christmas with billionaire Oliver Warbucks (Alex Bourne). What starts as a two week stay soon becomes life changing for Annie as both Warbucks and his assistant Grace fall in love with her and Warbucks decides that he wants to adopt her. Thrilled as she is, Annie still hasn’t given up on finding her parents so with a little help from President Roosevelt (Carl Sanderson) and the FBI, the hunt is on to try and find them. With a reward offered of 50,000 dollars, it is too tempting for Miss Hannigan who along with her sleazy brother Rooster (Christian Cooper) and his girlfriend Lily (Amber Kennedy) hatch a plan to pose as Annie’s parents and claim the reward.
Claire Sweeny really brings to life Miss Hannigan. She throws herself wholeheartedly into the booze soaked, child-hating orphanage proprietor with gusto. Hannigan is spectacularly bad at childcare and even worse at basic human kindness, but Sweeney makes every miserable, snarling moment thoroughly entertaining. She is gloriously horrible, and you can’t help but love watching her be so utterly dreadful!
Tanisha Mae Brown is equally impressive as Grace, bringing elegance and warmth to the role. She is a superb dancer, gliding across the stage with style, while her beautiful yet powerful voice easily filled the large Opera House.
And then there’s the huge ensemble cast, who deserve plenty of credit for creating the world of 1930s New York. The fabulous costumes, energetic choreography and slick dancing combine to give the production plenty of glitz and glamour, transporting us from Blackpool to New York without the need for a passport. We particularly loved the song NYC, which gave the ensemble a chance to really shine, along with the various reprises of Tomorrow.
But the real star of the show last night was the young girl playing Annie who was nothing short of sensational. For someone so young, she had an amazing stage presence, her voice was superb and her acting felt natural. She gave Annie plenty of personality and it’s easy to see why she was chosen to step into the little redhead role.
Dizzy, the four legged star of the show who played Annie’s dog Sandy was adorable and if there had been a canine curtain call I suspect Dizzy would have received a huge cheer!
Whether you’re an Annie fan or new to the story don’t wait until “tomorrow” to see this feel good musical, it’s at Blackpool until Saturday and then continues around the country on it’s UK tour.
Rating: 5/5
Tickets start from £25.95
Annie is at Blackpool Opera House from 28th July to the 1st August 2026. For more information or to book tickets, visit https://www.wintergardensblackpool.co.uk/events/annie/ or call the box office on 0844 770 0593.
Winter Gardens Blackpool, Church Street, Blackpool, FY11HU